Monster Rookie of the Variety Scene (11)
As soon as Kim Doyun's hand touched the clay, a human face slowly emerged from the mud. PD Kang Min-ju couldn't believe her eyes. No matter how she looked at it—from this angle or that—it was unmistakable.
It was Kang Jae-dong.
The face of Oji 1 Night's Kang Jae-dong was vividly captured in an expression of pure rage.
What the…
The other members were too focused on their own missions to notice Kim Doyun's bizarre performance. But a few of the staff members had already spotted his mud creation—no, his artwork—and were buzzing with excitement.
“What is that?”
“Looks like Doyun has a real talent for this.”
“That’s not just talent. No matter how you look at it, that’s the work of a professional…”
Amid the staff chatter, one member of the Oji 1 Night props team clicked her tongue in awe.
“To be honest, the technical skill is a bit ambiguous, but the expressiveness is incredible. I’d heard the rumors, but…”
PD Kang Min-ju approached her immediately.
“Rumors? What rumors?”
Startled by the PD’s sharp question, the props staff member answered in a rush.
“Well, the props team from Masterpiece Theater is pretty famous among the other teams in our industry. But…”
“But?”
“In our line of work, the head of that props team is legendary. He’s got a difficult personality, but they say he creates absolute masterpieces…”
PD Kang Min-ju had indeed heard of the Masterpiece Theater props team before. Director Lee had praised them highly.
“What about their team leader?”
Urged on by the PD, the staff member continued.
“A lot of people enter our field with the goal of earning recognition from him. But recently, there was a rookie he praised without holding back at all…”
PD Kang Min-ju looked puzzled.
“What does that have to do with Kim Doyun?”
“The rumor was that this rookie was an actor.”
“What?”
“Even if the technical skill was questionable, he could pick out prop details like someone who’d already seen the finished direction.”
A chill ran down PD Kang Min-ju’s entire body.
This is ridiculous.
She had assumed it was either an instinctive talent for finding variety show edit points or an overwhelming amount of study.
So he wasn’t just a variety genius.
For a moment, an old memory flashed through PD Kang Min-ju’s mind.
A very long time ago, she had encountered a person like this before.
The greatest talent she had ever seen.
Eyes that don’t see objects as objects.
Eyes that viewed everything solely for the sake of his own acting. She had seen such a man only once.
And he had been an absolute bastard with zero manners.
PD Kang Min-ju frowned as she stared at Kim Doyun. Before she realized it, her stiff expression softened into a smile.
No… he’s a little different.
Kim Doyun was polite and sincere. More than anything, he carried the scent of a real human being.
He probably didn’t even realize it himself, but he was the kind of person who had a positive influence on those around him.
Either way, it’s an incredible talent.
PD Kang Min-ju smiled as she looked at the work Kim Doyun had created.
Nice.
If it had been made only halfway well, it would have been difficult to react to and would have been a failure for a variety show.
But when someone went this far and completed something so insanely well, it transcended the usual variety template. It became the kind of fun that only appeared when you brought in a true specialist in that field.
From the skill of studying and utilizing variety templates to this kind of unexpected entertainment—he pulled it all off by himself.
Kim Doyun. You really are perfectly suited for variety shows.
Right after the time limit on the second trait of Persona - Sang-cheol, ‘Sculpting of the Self-Taught Student,’ expired.
My fingertips felt numb, and so did my mind.
I stared at the masterpiece before me and surprised even myself.
“Did I really do this?”
I gasped for breath as I looked down at my mud-covered hands in confusion.
Sang-cheol’s sculpting skills were this good?
There was no way such an amazing ability would come without restrictions. That doubt, along with amazement at the power of Persona, only lasted a moment.
“Everyone, please stop what you’re doing. Cover your finished pottery with the cloth behind you.”
PD Kang Min-ju removed the blindfold from the head writer.
“A-am I free now?”
“What are you talking about? Weren’t you always free? Alright, the writer will guess one by one.”
“The writer is free!”
The head writer excitedly ran over and stood in front of Kang Jae-dong. At the same time, everyone’s eyes turned toward him.
“How does it look?”
[Viewers, try guessing along with us!]
Haha, so Oji 1 Night had this kind of fun too.
Hyung definitely made a clam.
I looked at the pile of mud Kang Jae-dong had shaped.
What is that?
It was a smooth, oval-shaped lump of clay that could never, under any circumstances, be interpreted as a clam.
I nodded.
As expected of the god of variety. He had intentionally turned even this into entertainment.
That’s how I decided to understand it.
The head writer, who had to guess the correct answer, stared intently at Kang Jae-dong’s work for a long time.
“Hmm… what could this be?”
“Can’t you tell just by looking?!”
PD Kang Min-ju shouted cheerfully.
“Ten seconds left!”
The head writer bent at the waist, looking up at Kang Jae-dong with a tearful expression.
“I don’t know… a sweet potato…?”
At the head writer’s answer, PD Kang Min-ju burst into hearty laughter.
“Wrong wrong wrong wrong! Incorrect!!”
[Follow the rhythm!]
[Kang Jae-dong — Outdoor Sleep!]
It was the moment Kang Jae-dong’s outdoor sleeping punishment was decided, accompanied by the cheerful elimination music.
I nodded.
“I guess that makes sense.”
“Aaaaaaaaagh! Doyun, even you?! Just wait until we see how well you did!”
After that, the judging proceeded swiftly under the head writer’s decisions.
[Kim Geun-seok — Indoor Sleep!]
[Lee Seung-woo — Indoor Sleep!]
“Why am I the only one like this?!”
Only Kang Jae-dong, the sole original member forced to sleep outside, was screaming in despair.
Passing by the wailing Kang Jae-dong, the head writer stopped in front of Ruina Bell.
“There’s no need to look. My masterpiece is obvious at first glance.”
“No, I bet she still won’t get it right.”
Ruina Bell puffed out her cheeks at my retort.
“That’s just how I’m saying it, Tofu Man. Do you really want to DIEDIE with me?!”
Ruina Bell approached, flaunting her superior long legs. She was shorter than me, but still… tall!
“I’m sorry!”
The moment I tucked my tail between my legs, Ruina Bell smiled in satisfaction.
“Tofu Man must not get cocky.”
I looked at Ruina Bell. Let’s see how well she did.
It was the moment she confidently pulled away the cloth covering her work.
“….”
Everyone on set froze solid.
“So, what do you think? Of my masterpiece! It seems even the Buan mud loves me, since I am loved by everyone!”
Her bright, innocent expression left no one able to argue. Only the head writer was trembling in distress.
“What should I do…”
“It’s fine. Go ahead and say the answer comfortably. Don’t be afraid to judge my masterpiece!”
Ruina Bell was firing off a 100% pure positive smile. She made a finger heart and winked at the same time.
“The hint is that it’s cute! It’s cute!”
Faced with that sunny expression, the head writer kept her mouth firmly shut.
Someone had to tell her. No, someone had to!
“If that’s cute, then everything cute in this world is dead. Even Elizabeth was cuter than that.”
“…!”
Ruina Bell forced a smile as she looked at the head writer.
“It seems Tofu Man is jealous of me. Hurry up and guess it…”
“I-I’m sorry. I don’t know!!”
[Follow the rhythm!]
[Ruina Bell — Outdoor Sleep!]
At the head writer’s words, Ruina Bell collapsed on the spot.
“This can’t be. Does this mean even the mud doesn’t love this Ruina Bell?”
“Seems that way.”
“Ugh…”
Ruina Bell shot me a quick glare. She remained seated, seemingly lost in despair for a moment.
“U-um, Miss Ruina Bell…”
The flustered head writer tried to comfort her, but the moment she spoke—
“I have realized it. This Ruina Bell… was loved by outdoor sleeping all along…!”
The absurdity of it made words slip out of my mouth before I could stop them.
“What?”
Ruina Bell looked at me and shook her head in an arrogant pose.
“Ahem, ahem, ahem. You don’t understand?”
“I really don’t.”
“Oh dear, listen carefully, Tofu Man.”
Ruina Bell fiddled with whatever she had made and continued.
“This mud loved me too, but it ended up loving outdoor sleeping even more. And this is the tragic result of that love!”
Ruina Bell pointed at her ‘work’ and smiled.
“This right here!”
“Okay.”
I had definitely realized it. There was no value in answering.
Thinking that, I spoke to the head writer.
“Writer-nim. Don’t worry about her and just move on to the next one.”
“Ah, right. I need to guess the correct answers.”
With those words, the head writer moved on to Kim Chan-uk.
“Tofu Man, you bastard! Don’t ignore what I say!”
I could hear the yellow-haired muse’s protest-like complaints from behind, but I decided to ignore them.
Good. Then for Kim Chan-uk…
An octopus. There was no way she’d guess that. Let’s send Chan-uk to outdoor sleep.
That was what I was thinking when—
“Ah, this is an octopus!”
“Thank you.”
[Kim Chan-uk]
[Cool Indoor Sleep Confirmed!]
…?
She got it right on the first try.
Kang Jae-dong stepped forward and shouted.
“Writer-nim, be honest! Where do you see an octopus in that?! Are you saying it because he’s handsome?!”
“Thank you!”
Whether it was true or not, Kim Chan-uk answered with a refreshing, handsome smile full of joy. The head writer also smiled back.
“No matter which way you look at it, it’s clearly an octopus.”
“Don’t lie! This is biased judging!”
“How could there be such a thing as biased judging? Right, Chan-uk?”
Kim Chan-uk answered with an awkward smile.
“Thank you for looking at it so carefully.”
“T-this is ridiculous!”
Kang Jae-dong roared. As expected of Oji 1 Night’s writer. Her banter with the members never missed a beat.
I shook my head.
More than that, the world was so unfair.
I had clearly seen it. The moment it was Kim Chan-uk’s turn, the analytical look in the head writer’s eyes. That determination to get it right no matter what…!
As I was thinking that, Kim Chan-uk glanced at me from the corner of his eye. Then he slightly lifted the corner of his mouth and looked at me with a mocking smile.
That bastard…?
Look at him. This is my skill. That kind of expression. It was so arrogant that even the constant sound of the yellow-haired ghost’s voice from earlier didn’t bother me.
Maybe I should’ve put on some makeup too?
That thought had just crossed my mind when—
“Doyun!”
The head writer walked up and stood in front of me. It was finally my turn.
“Writer-nim. You have to get mine right too, okay? I want to sleep warmly!”
At my words, the head writer smiled in a way she hadn’t all day. She clenched both fists and nodded vigorously several times.
“Don’t worry. I’m a fan of yours, Doyun! I’ll definitely get it right.”
“Understood!”
Smiling, I lifted the cloth that had been covering Sang-cheol’s masterpiece.
The eyes of every staff member and cast member turned toward my work.
For a moment, the entire set fell silent.
“….”
The one who broke that silence was the yellow-haired muse standing right behind me.
“HOLY MOLY GUACAMOLE! FXXX SHIT WHY KOREAN FIRST MC KANG JAE-DONG!! WHY is only his head working properly!!!!!!!!”